Former Congressman Kenneth Hulshof shared his views on governance and his memories as a congressman in two of Dr. Richard Johnson’s POLS 1113 Governance in America sections. The event was hosted in Walker Center 151 on October 22nd at 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. This event was open for students to attend. Hulshof served as a member of congress for Missouri’s 9th district between 1997 and 2009. He was affiliated with the Republican party. Hulshof graduated with a bachelor’s from the University of Missouri and a Juris Doctor at the University of Mississippi Law School. He has served as a public defender, prosecuting attorney, assistant attorney general and congressman.
Hulshof began his introduction by stating “[I’m a] Proud Republican, vaccinated and proud to show it!” He said he was in the neighborhood and decided to speak at the governance class after Dr. Richard Johnson reached out to him. From there he went on to describe his career. “I’ve been a prosecutor back in Missouri,” he said referring to a time before his candidacy. By the end of his career as a prosecutor, he said that he had prosecuted three dozen murder cases.
Hulshof centered his run for congress on the introduction of term limits. “There are strong powers of incumbency… Once you’re elected, you’re able to solicit, it is easier,” he explained. In his first speech before Congress, he called for the introduction of term limits. His view is that “Our founders intended to have a citizen legislature; you live among the people who sent you there.” He explained the opposing argument is “We don’t need them. The people decide who they want to represent them, and no one should hold that back.” Although the term limit bill had majority support, it did not receive enough support to pass. He knew the bill would not succeed from the beginning, saying if it had reached the Senate, “it would have failed.”
“Social media – there’s a really negative side to it…it used to be that news networks tried to be objective… [Now] You can pick a channel that fits your political ideology.” Hulshof went on to explain the partisan loyalty that plagues Washington. “There needs to be a better reason to cast a vote than party affiliation.” He said he was so successful because “Solving problems was more important than the letter by my name, the R in my name.” He explained the importance for officials to make decisions based on what constituents wanted. “The wisest piece of advice [I have been given] was from Newt Gingrich ‘You have to vote your district. Vote your district. Vote what you believe the majority in your district [support]. There are some things you may have strong emotions [about].’”
“Do your emotions get in the way of your voting?” asked a student. “You know, great question. Some topics were emotional… Some of those I’m like, I’m preaching from the well of the house. Some issues were very emotional. But I never cast a vote on emotion,” Hulshof answered.
He said that it is important to converse on political matters “It is okay to express your opinion, then you should listen to that person that disagrees with you.” After being asked about ICE detention camps by a student he replied by asking the student to explain the opposing argument. The student shared opposing arguments. “When you’re debating, ask someone to argue the opposing side,” Hulshof explained. “[We are a] Sovereign nation [with] borders, every other country has some rules established. We have an immigration process which is woefully bad. Why can’t we help people move through the process much more swiftly?”
He explained his toughest vote was on the invasion of Iraq. “I told President Bush, I’m not with you yet,” explaining his hesitancy on voting in favor of the invasion of Iraq. However, in the end, he decided to vote for the invasion. “Ultimately I voted Yes on the resolution,” he said. After casting his vote, he “…took out a full-page ad and explained, here’s, how, reason why I voted to authorize force…I’ve never ever ever took a poll before a vote, in advance of a vote to see how I should go. I never did that… [After a vote] I sometimes took a poll to see the political damage… Am I dinged by that?” “[The] Impeachment of Bill Clinton, it hurt me politically in Columbia. It probably hurt me forever.”
He went on to explain the diversity of issues on which Congress would pass legislation. He had a team of advisors that would appraise him on issues, but in the end, he would have the final say. “I was a kid on the farm, I grew up with my hands in the dirt.” explaining his expertise in agricultural matters. However, other issues raised were more difficult to cast a vote on. “I didn’t have a clue about water rights between California and Colorado,” he said.
“The Senate is classical music, and the Congress is rock and roll.” he jokingly said, comparing the differences between the Senate and Congress. He explained as a congressperson he was only permitted to speak a few minutes at a time, while it takes that much time for Senators “to clear their throats.”
He shared some of the moments which have been forever stained in his memory. His first memory shared was that of 9/11. “I was there [at the capitol] on September 11th. I was in a debate… Staff comes whispering in my ear ‘We got to go.’ En route back to my office on capitol hill, [the] second plane [hit], uh oh, terrorism. You could see the smoke from the Pentagon. Capitol security came and said we needed to evacuate the building.” explaining the security threat at the Capitol. “I watch Fox News… The commentator said, ‘Congress has been taken to a secure location’ Did I miss the bus?” he said jokingly. “[We] Went back later that day, and they would not let us back into the building and we came together and said ‘God bless America’” he explained that 9/11 was something that brought both sides together.
He then moved on to his memory of former President Ronald Regan’s funeral. “When President Regan died… We paused everything in Washington D.C. I remember vividly outside my door… C-Span had a camera on [the funeral], I saw this young soldier who had just come back who was on crutches, I watched as this young 20-year-old soldier went around to the coffin and I watched as he handed his crutched off to his aid and gave a salute to his fallen leader. Regan was in office before this guy was deployed. We have to listen to one another. That’s what makes this country great,” he said as a closing remark.
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